Improvement in car-starters



3 Sheets--Sheet1.

A. W HITTEM 0 RE.

Gar-Starters. P10140229. Patentedlune24,18 7.

77Zinewraw Ewe (4.14% d/(flmq AM. PHOTOi/IHDGRAFHICCD NH ossanua';Memes} 3 Sheets-Sheet 2..

A. WHITTEMOBE.

Car-Starters.

NO. 140,229, I PatentedJune24J873- AM PHoro-urnosmmzc co NX osBan/vs'sPnucsss.)

UNITED STATES PATENT AMOS WHITTEMORE, OF GAMBRIDGEPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT lN CAR-STARTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 140,229, dated J une24, 1873; application filed October 17, 1872.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AMos WHITTEMORE, ofOambridgeport, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts,have invented a new and Improved Apparatus for Starting Street-Cars; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawingsmaking part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, Plate 1, is anelevation of one side of a car-bed having my improvement applied to it.Fig. -2, Plate 1, is a bottom view of the same. Fig. 3, Plate 1, is alongitudinal section through the same, showing the starting device outof operation. Fig. 4, Plate 2, is an enlarged view of the startingdevice. Fig. 5, Plate 3, is an enlarged sectional view, showing thestarting device and some of the parts connected therewith in positionready to start the car ahead.

Similar letters of reference indicatecorrespondin g parts in the severalfigures.

The object of this invention is to utilize the momentum of a street-car,while stopping it, so as to accumulate a force which will start the caragain, and thus relieve the horses from considerable labor, as will behereinafter explained.

The following description of my invention will enable others skilled inthe art to understand it. 7

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the bed of a street-railwaycar, which is mounted on wheels 13, the axle-boxes a of which areallowed free vertical play in their brackets O, in the usual manner.This play I take advantage of for keeping the wheels B on the trackwhile applying the starting device, as will be hereinafter explained. Iarrange at one end of a car, or, if desirable, at both ends, or, in themiddle of a car, a starting device, which consists oftwo eccentricwheels, G G, applied fast on an axle, c, which axle-has its end hearingsin brackets c 0. These wheels are somewhat of a heart-shape--that is tosay, the radiuses increase from a flat portion, 9, to a point, 9 thegreatest radius being from the axle c to the point g so that when thewheels or starters G are in the position indicated in Figs. 1, 4, and 5,the end of the car will be lifted. The wheels G are arranged in linewith the treads of the car-wheels B, so as to impinge on the heads ofthe rails when in the position shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 5. When thewheels G are in the position shown in Fig. 3 they do not touch therails. My object is now to employ, in combination with the brake-rods J,on which are the usual crankhandles j, certain devices which will enablea driver at either end of the car to adjust the eccentric-wheels uponthe rails at pleasurethat is to say, to turn these wheels until theshortest radiuses of the curved portions touch the rails, when, if thecar is in motion, they will roll nearly one-half around to the positionindicated in Figs. 1, 4, and 5, and lift one end of the car. Thebrake-rods J 'at both ends of the car are screw-threaded, and turn innuts so as to receive vertical movements; and around the lower portionsof these rods are winding-chains j one of which is connected to thecross-bar j of the brake-shoes D by means of a rod, j", as shown in Fig.2, while the other chain is connected to the cross-bar of brakeshoes Dby means of a rod, j. By these means brakes can be applied to wheels Bfrom either end of the car. For the purpose of aiding my description, Ishall hereinafter designate that end of the car under which theeccentric-wheels G are applied as the front end. To each brake-rod Jbeneath the carbed a collar, 6, is applied, and on the collar 0 of thefront brake-rod J rests the forked end of a pivoted arm, E, from which along rod, E, is suspended by means of a link, E The rod E is pivoted tothe cross-bar 7' of the brakeshoes D, so that, when the latter shoes areapplied to their wheels, by winding up chain on the front brake-rod Jthe rod E will be moved forward, and at the same time lowered to theposition shown in Fig. 5, Plate 3. When the rod E is thus adjusted, astop, shoulder, f, on it will receive against it a bar 9 on theeccentric-wheels G, and arrest these wheels in the position indicated inFig. 5 in full lines, and in Fig. 4 in dotted lines, in

which position the car will be lifted and ready to move forward when thebrakes are released and rod E lifted from bar 9 On the collar 0 of therear brake-rod J the forked end of an angular lever, E rests, theopposite end of I Felon;

which has connected to it a rod, N, which extends forward over the axlec of the eccentric G, and is connected to one arm of a rightangularlever, E, which has its fulcrum at a, and to the other arm of which arod, 151*, is connected by a link, E This rod E extends back, and ispivoted to the cross-bar of brakeshoes D. It is notched atf for thepurpose of engaging with the bar g of eccentrics G, and locking thelatter in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4; in 'full lines, when thecar is moving in the opposite direction to that above described. Thenormal position of the eccentrics Gr, when not in operation, isrepresented in Fig. 3, and in this position the bar 9 lies in the crotchof a shifter, L, which is applied rigidly to a rod, P, that is pivotedat each end to a lever, k. These levers are arranged on the sides oftheir respective brake-rods J, and have arms k hinged to them, as shownin Fig. 5. The object of the arms 70 is to allow the levers to beoperated when desired by the crankarms j on the brake-rods J at the sametime that the brakes are applied. These hinged arms k are therefore madelong enough to allow the arms j to strike them when arms 70 are moved ina vertical position by the knee of the driver; but when said arms areallowed to fall back, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 5, the rod J can beturned and the brakes applied without moving the arms 70. This will benecessary in descending hills, in turning curves in the road, and inchecking the speed of the horses.

It will be seen that when it is desired to apply the eccentrics G, ingoing either one way or the other, the upper arm of the proper leverK'is moved forward, which'will cause the shifter L to swing theeccentrics around until a portion of each one impinges on its respectiverail. The brakes are applied simultaneously with the application of theeccentrics to the rails, so that when eccentrics are caught and held byone or the other of the stop-shoulders ff, these eccentrics will nothave to slide very far; but as far as they do slide, they will operateas auxiliary brakes. Having thus applied the brakes to the wheels B, andthe eccentrics to the rails, and stopped the car, it will be found thatthe front end of the car is lifted, and the car is prevented from-moving forward and downward by the brakes and one or the other of thelocking-rods. When the brake-rod is now elevated to release the brakes,the locking-rod will be released from theeccentrics, and the car will,of its own weight,' m'ove forward with a force proportionate totheweight in the car.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. The lifting rolling eccentrics G, arranged beneath a car-bed so as tooperate substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with lifting-segments G, of a shifting device, L,arranged to be operated substantially as described.

3. The locking-rods E E in combination with the eccentrics G,substantially asdescribed.

AMOS WHITIEMORE. Witnesses:

J. N. CAMPBELL, JAMES MARTIN, Jr.

